Ohio Governor Slams Bill, Says Vaccines Prevent ‘Great, Great, Great Suffering’
A controversial anti-vax bill in Ohio would weaken the state's vaccination laws. The bill drew national attention after some people urging passage of the bill claimed the covid vaccine would "magnetize" you. (It won't.) Other news on the vaccine rollout is from Washington state, Alaska, Georgia, Pennsylvania and elsewhere.
USA Today:
Ohio Governor Opposes Anti-Vaccination Bill After Conspiracy Theorists Claim Vaccines 'Magnetized' People
Gov. Mike DeWine came out against a controversial bill that would weaken Ohio's vaccination laws and grant more individual freedom, after false claims at a hearing on the bill that coronavirus vaccines "magnetized" people drew mockery and anger across the internet. On Thursday, DeWine said he opposes House Bill 248 and asked Ohioans to think of the impact vaccines have had on society. "Before modern medicine, diseases such as mumps, polio, whooping cough were common and caused great, great, great suffering and death to thousands of people every single year," said DeWine during a news conference on the latest Vax-a-Million winners. (Bischoff, 6/10)
AP:
Winner Of First $250K In State Vaccine Lottery Claims Prize
The first winner in Washington state’s COVID-19 vaccine lottery has claimed his $250,000 prize. The man identified by Washington State Lottery officials Thursday as Lance R. did not want to be further identified, KING-TV reported. But in a statement he said he “got lucky,” and encouraged others to get vaccinated not only to have a chance at winning money, but to protect the community. (6/11)
Anchorage Daily News:
Alaska Used To Lead The Nation In COVID-19 Vaccinations. Six Months In, The State Has Fallen Behind
This spring, Alaska was hailed as a vaccination success story — shipping doses via plane, snowmachine and boat to remote corners of the vast state. But it has gradually fallen from first place to the middle of the pack in the six months since the first doses of COVID-19 vaccine arrived here in mid-December. In March, Alaska became the first state in the country to open up vaccinations to all residents 16 or older, without other restrictions on eligibility. Health officials say that in the months since then, however, a saturation of available vaccine hasn’t translated into a corresponding number of vaccine recipients. “We’re definitely seeing more supply than demand,” said Matt Bobo, the director of Alaska’s immunization program, during a call with reporters Thursday. (Krakow and Berman, 6/10)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Georgia Shifts COVID Vaccine Strategy As Pace Slows To A Crawl
At the Fox Theatre, the parking and popcorn came free on a recent Friday evening, along with an exquisite violin performance — all in hopes of coaxing the hesitant to get a COVID-19 vaccine there. In a conference room inside Truist Park, the Atlanta Braves offered two free game tickets in exchange for an on-site vaccine shot. Mobile vaccination clinics are setting up before dawn at farms, and teams are vaccinating workers on their breaks inside poultry plants. They’ve given shots at churches, grocers and soccer matches. In the months ahead, the teams will hit nearly every county in Georgia. (Oliviero and Trubey, 6/11)
Philadelphia Inquirer:
NFL Players Union Urging Its Members To Get Vaccinated, But Many Players Are Balking
DeMaurice Smith pleaded ignorance Thursday when the NFL players union boss was asked on a conference call for the vaccination rate of his rank and file. “We don’t have all the information yet,” Smith claimed. “We’ll take a look and see if we have that data. We’ll get you the numbers when we have them.” It’s becoming increasingly apparent that, despite the urging of the NFLPA to its members to get vaccinated, many players aren’t doing so. There have been reports that less than 50% of the league’s 2,880 players have been vaccinated. The NFL is said to be considering relaxing COVID-19 restrictions on teams that hit an 85% vaccination threshold, but many clubs aren’t anywhere close to that figure. (Domowitch, 6/10)
In updates on vaccine development —
Bloomberg:
Pharma Executives Seeking Higher Immunity Mix Own Covid Shots
When it comes to their own health, some in the pharma industry aren’t waiting for governments to tell them they can mix two different Covid-19 vaccines. While research is still underway on the effects of taking mismatched shots, some people who’ve studied the science are switching up their doses to get what they claim is better protection. At least one industry veteran even crossed borders to do it. (Gillespie, 6/11)
CIDRAP:
High COVID Vaccine Uptake May Protect The Unvaccinated
Higher levels of COVID-19 vaccination in a population are tied to lower rates of infection in unvaccinated youth younger than 16 years, who were ineligible for the vaccine at the time of the trial, according to an observational, real-world, Israeli study today in Nature Medicine. Researchers from Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa led the study, which involved mining vaccination records and COVID-19 test results gathered during a rapid vaccine rollout in 177 communities. (Van Beusekom, 6/10)
